Breast milk collection systems are known in the art. There is disclosed in International Publication No. WO 2008/057218 to Luzbetak et al. a vacuum pump with a barrier preventing contamination from entering a vacuum pump air line. The barrier separates part of the pump and is movable between an initial state and the distended state. The barrier is assembled within the pump with a preload which is reported to assist the barrier in returning to its initial state from a distended state. Pump diaphragms with radial features are also known in the art. In this regard, see U.S. Pat. No. 7,363,850 to Becker as well as U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,589 to Bertrand.
Breast pump systems are sometimes provided with different sets of shields to accommodate different breast sizes or shapes. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,066 to Larsson et al. entitled “Breastpump With Universal Hood Base and Interchangeable Suction Hoods.” In the '066 patent, the suction hoods are funnel shaped shields made of substantially rigid plastic having a tubular part attached to the funnel of different sizes to connect to the same hood base. Rigid breast shields, however, have sometimes been reported to cause discomfort in use. See WO 2005/097230 of Silver as well as U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,922 to Beer et al.
Also known in the art are breast pumps having breast shields made partially of relatively rigid material and partially from a soft material. In this regard, note U.S. Pat. No. 7,413,557 to Samson et al., particularly at Column 6, lines 52 and following, wherein it is reported that a soft material is an integral part of the breast shield or horn, being bonded to the rigid material. The soft material provides one or more regions of elasticity to the horn whereby the user can manipulate the soft region, which in turn stimulates the underlying area of the breast.
While there have been advances in the art, existing systems tend to be relatively cumbersome and difficult to clean and reassemble. Moreover, user comfort is still an issue.